A dramatic shift is sweeping through our schools and society and the signs are all around us. Third graders texting on their cell phones, kindergarteners who can navigate an iPod Touch better than we can and Middle schoolers who already have an Internet following on their blog or YouTube channel. Everybody seems to be talking about learning 21st century technology skills, but what does it all mean for the parent or student who needs better technology in education for tomorrow’s mathematics or history lesson?

As parents, we should be concerned about preparing our “today’s” child for tomorrow’s world. The partnership for 21st Century Skills, Department of Education and the International Society for Technology in Education have developed guidelines that outline what our students need to know to meet the challenges of the modern age. These skills and themes are not new to educators, but may be new for our parents and young students. We expect our parents to be a part of any good teaching practice at home. The challenge is to be more prevalent and knowledgeable with regards to incorporating students real world problems, critical thinking skills and digital citizenship guidelines that can support them. It is important for parents to understand the technology that their children are using and what they can do to not only help, but keep them safe. Our new 21st century learners must master more than the classes in their daily schedule to succeed in secondary and post-secondary institutions, as well as in the workplace.

With that said, It is our role to educate parents and students the best we can to prepare them and ourselves for 21st Century Technology. Let’s give our children the best possible chance to succeed in and out of the classroom knowing that technology will be vital to their success.

Mr. Martin